Today’s post features fifteen of my favorite interiors…they are memorable for many reasons but today, they have one common thread…their artful use of photography…in each space, the designer thoughtfully incorporates photography into the environment…some with a bold gesture, (as with the Kara Mann designed dining room above) others with a small gem, that bring you closer for a more intimate look…whether a virtuosic solo or a large symphonic grouping, these interiors lovingly highlight the beauty of photography…

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Researching and writing “a thoughtful eye” uncovers an infinite number of connective threads. I love that art, photography, interiors, architecture, fashion, and film are so intertwined. I found inspiration for today’s post while researching interior designer Miles Redd. Two days ago I posted about Redd and discovered one of his greatest influences is famed fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon. For Redd, The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition titled “Avedon: Photographs 1947-1977,” a retrospective of Avedon’s fashion work, is a huge inspiration. Maybe Miles Redd found stimulus for his black and white kitchen from a Richard Avedon photograph? It’s fascinating to question the influences and inspirations of those we admire for it gives us a more complete picture of who they are, how they got there and a much deeper appreciation for their art. The next time I see a Miles Redd interior, I will most certainly be thinking about how it relates to fashion and the photography of the masterful Richard Avedon.

Above and below are pictures from Richard Avedon’s apartment. I love that you can see some of his photographs on the walls of his home. The stories and the memories must have been wonderful for him to live with. I’d like to share with you some quotes from Richard Avedon that speak so purely to his life and to his work. To learn more, click on richardavedon.com

“And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible.” ~ Richard Avedon, 1970

“My photographs don’t go below the surface. They don’t go below anything. They’re readings of the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A good one is full of clues. But whenever I become absorbed in the beauty of a face, in the excellence of a single feature, I feel I’ve lost what’s really there…been seduced by someone else’s standard of beauty or by the sitter’s own idea of the best in him. That’s not usually the best. So each sitting becomes a contest.” ~ Richard Avedon, 1980

“I’ve worked out of a series of no’s. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no’s force me to the “yes.” I have a white background. I have the person I’m interested in and the thing that happens between us.” ~ Richard Avedon, 1994

On November 20th, 2010, the Paris Christie’s will be auctioning off 65 Richard Avedon photographs. The photos below are a sampling of the stunning works for sale. To see and learn more, click on Christie’s